WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

It seems an obvious question at first glance, but supplying an answer gets trickier the more you think about it.

City of Edinburgh Council is asking residents to complete a 60-second 2-question survey about where they live.

It is hoping to identify the micro-communities within the city to create 'a new set of natural neighbourhood boundaries which will improve the Council's understanding of customers, our measurement of outcomes and enable closer working with our partners'.

Spurtle thinks this is a very good and long overdue idea.

Broughton, for example, has a fairly clear identity among those who live, work and play here.

We would say it centres around the cluster of independent shops and bars from Broughton Street down to Canonmills, Picardy Place to Elm Row, and the local Broughton Primary School and Drummond Community High School.

We'd argue that it vibrates between Dundas Street in the west and Pilrig Street in the north-east, and that one of its virtues is the range of socio-economic, age and ethnic subgroups who share in it, intersect and at various levels identify with each other here. 

However, Broughton has no distinct existence in neighbourhood-partnership, ward or constituency terms. Even its community council representation is artificially split in ways which owe more to architectural aesthetics and World Heritage Site priorities than to neighbourliness or mutual interest.

In historical terms, these geographical loyalties are fluid. The medieval Barony of Broughton was certainly focused on this area, but at various times had disconnected outposts further afield in Edinburgh, Scotland and abroad and was always more about power than location.

Up until the late 18th century, Broughton was considered to lie outside Edinburgh. But by the early 19th century, following the capital's expansion, it gradually expanded across orchards to fill its current space, pushing into Pilrig in one direction and exerting a locational pull on the eastern New Town in the other. 

Interestingly by the early 20th century, the former Westminster constituency of Broughton extended as far as Goldenacre.

Then as now, working, shopping, socialising, educational and worshipping practices shaped community affiliations, particularly at the edges.

So where do you think of yourself living now? Broughton? Greenside? Claremont? Bellevue? Pilrig? Canonmills? Gayfield? The New Town? Do these fine gradations mean anything any more to anyone except estate agents? Are you unconcerned? Or content to be subsumed under the Council's ever-expanding catch-all: Leith? 

To complete the online survey, click here. You have until Friday 1 November.

For more information contact: Iain Bell, Tel. 0131 469 3852 or David Porteous, Tel. 0131 529 7127 email: business.intelligence@edinburgh.gov.uk

We'd like to know what you think as well! Please contact us by email spurtle@hotmail.co.uk on Facebook Broughton Spurtle or Twitter @theSpurtle

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  The Edinburgh Reporter Well let us just say that these animals are clearly indigenous to Greenside. The name gives it away really. They like the long grass outside the Omnivorous Centre even though they are herbivores. So obviously this is Greenside Savannah, Edinburgh. Don't you agree?

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  Dee Swift Heaven.